


Tallkit and Brightkit

by mintedstar (forevermint)



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Gen, littlecloud discord bot gave me these kits, yes they died
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25397500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forevermint/pseuds/mintedstar
Summary: This was made of my first set of kits that I got using the Discord bot "Littlecloud."Yes.They died.
Relationships: Brindletail/Crowheart
Kudos: 2





	Tallkit and Brightkit

**Author's Note:**

> This was made of my first set of kits that I got using the Discord bot "Littlecloud."  
> Yes.  
> They died.

Little Tallkit, with soft fur and bright eyes, was buried near the crest of the hill, where the tall grass could almost brush against the chest of any cat walking through it. Brightkit was buried by the river, his blue eyes closed to its waters and the sunlight which reflected off it.  
The tabby she-cat rested her head on her pile of moss which made up her makeshift nest, on the hill near the river, looking away and toward the forest with her tail hardly moving. It was a lazy twitch this way and that; a soft shift of her shoulders all that said she was alive. There was nothing that could have been done, that was what they had said. That they had just been sick, they had said. The medicine cat had said it had been the hunger and then the sickness and that Brindletail had done all she could in the situation. But Brindletail didn't believe that was the case. How could she? She was their mother. They had been her kits to look after. When Tallkit had started to cough, she should have taken her to the medicine cat at once. When Brightkit had caught it as well, she should have been there for him more. She should have been better. A better hunter, a better mother.  
She hadn't been.  
The best she could give them was their resting places ...  
Her heart hurt. It was a small, fractured piece of glass in her chest. She should have done better. There had to have been a way to save them.  
The expanse of grass whipped in the wind around her at a speed that seemed fitting for her racing mind. It was such a wild hubbub of noises in her head. Voices from the past that she couldn't shake.  
[i]"Mama?" asked Tallkit, looking up at her, eyes wide. "Food?"  
Brindletail looked down at her, licking the top of the kit's head. "I'm sorry, sweet one," she said. "But I can't feed you."  
Her knowledge of hunting was nonexistent after leaving her twolegs. How could she hope to support two kits? She just had to hope that, if she could get them to a clan, they would be alright.  
It should have been easy.[/i]  
"Brindletail!" called a voice.  
Brindletail's ear twitched. She didn't raise her head. She knew Crowheart's voice but didn't want to draw attention to herself.  
The black and white tom slowly climbed the hill, glancing over Brindletail's makeshift nest. He didn't reprimand her for staying out here so long, even though it was getting colder as the sun went down. He just came and sat beside her.  
"You found us as quickly as you could," he said - again. Always a reassurance. Maybe they helped on some days. Maybe it helped a little today, but for now, Brindletail was struggling to meet his eyes.  
[i]"They're just not healthy enough to make this sickness easy," the medicine cat whispered, sympathy in his voice. "Please understand ... you might want to prepare yourself ... I'm so sorry.[/i]  
Crowheart's tongue rasped over her ears. Brindletail found herself leaning into the gesture. Her shoulders were shaking again, but Crowheart was being patient, trying to keep her grounded.  
She wanted to stay grounded.  
This was all her fault.  
"It's not your fault," Crowheart whispered.  
It was.  
"It isn't. It hurts. I know it hurts. But it isn't your fault."  
And then he returned to grooming her pelt, keeping her warm as the sun dipped again. The water to her back lapped lightly, reminding her of Brightkit's eyes. The wind brushing against the long strands of grass reminding her of Tallkit. Every breath, every whisper of noise ... there they were.  
Other than in the careful words of Crowheart. He was all his own. Carefully talking to her, even when her head got so loud she couldn't hear him.  
"Will you come home with me?" he asked.  
Brindletail's fur prickled. Maybe from the wind.  
She didn't answer him. He didn't ask again. He just stayed there with her. Patient. Waiting. Confident that she would be alright.  
She leaned deeper into his fur. The night was stretching around them.  
[i]"I'm so sorry."[/i]  
She pressed her nose into his side. He nuzzled her head. Knowing that this would fix anything. Nothing could fix this.  
But he stayed.  
[i]"Brindletail ... I know ... Brindletail ... where would you like them buried?"[/i]  
The water was the only sound she could hear as she drifted into an uneasy sleep. Then, as she shifted, the sound was replaced by Crowheart's beating heart. Under her ear, in her mind.  
I am with you.  
[i]On the hill. And by the river. I want them to be close to each other."[/i]  
A steady rhyme. Telling her that he would be here as long as she needed to grieve. As long as she needed to heal. He was here.  
Dawn didn't come easy. She didn't wake up first, but when she did it was in an unsteady, painful whirl of colors. Crowheart was awake. Or maybe he'd never gone to sleep. She couldn't tell. All she knew was that he was looking at her with wide blue eyes, full of love. She buried her nose in his chest again and closed her eyes.  
[i]They're here.[/i]  
They would always be here. Never growing up.  
"I'll come back with you now," she whispered. "But just for a little."  
Crowheart licked her ear again.  
"Of course."  
It was hard for her to stand. He waited for her though, moving at the same speed as she did. He was careful, she was clumsy. Her paws were shaking, her ears were back, and her eyes were downcast. But she made it to a standing position and turned to look at him.  
The pain in her eyes still showed little reflections of light like what was reflecting from the river. But Crowheart laid his tail across her back, a silent encouragement to move at her own speed. That he wasn't going to disappear.  
"I miss them," Brindletail said. "So much. Every day."  
Crowheart leaned in again, his breath tickling her ear. "I know. I know, Brindletail. I'm sure they miss you too. Grieve as much as you need, but don't forget that they'd want you to continue to be strong."  
The words were kind. She appreciated them, even though they couldn't really touch the sides of her pain.  
"Thank you," she whispered, unable to keep her voice loud enough to mean anything.  
Crowheart nodded. Nothing was solved. There was no solution. But he waited for her to slowly start padding down the hill. Back to his home - to his clan.  
[i]"I like it here," said Tallkit, looking around at the trees. Her small body was bushed up as if she was trying to make herself look more impressive for the other cats around her. "Are these the cats you named yourself after, mommy?"  
Brindletail leaned down, feeling self-conscious, but nodded a bit at her daughter. "Yes. I took on a name to match theirs."  
"It took a long time to get here," said Brightkit, his fur bunching up. "My paws hurt."  
He was trying to keep his head up, but it was clear that after so long he really needed some sleep. And food.  
"I know," Brindletail said, her gut twisting with guilt.  
"Excuse me," said a voice to her left. She turned, finally looking at a tom cat that was staring at her. "Sorry," he said, looking a bit abashed. "I just wanted to say hi. I'm Crowheart. Did you need to see a medicine cat? No one seems to have asked you about it yet. You're Brindletail, right?"  
Brindletail nodded, then looked down at her kits. Both of them were looking up at him with wide eyes.  
"Medicine cat ..." said Brindletail hesitantly. "That's the cat who heals, right?"  
Crowheart was the one to nod now. "Yeah."  
"Please," she responded. "Just to check."  
"Sure thing!" said Crowheart. "This way."  
He turned, tail flicking, and he only looked back when Tallkit dashed passed him, her long tail high above her. She was suddenly much more energetic than she had been before. "Hello, little kit," said Crowheart. "What do you think of my clan?"  
Tallkit looked up at him and chirped, "I like it. It's got a lotta cats. But they're all just looking at us."  
"Yeah," said Crowheart, laughing at that. "They're used to strangers coming in, but they don't usually have kits. You're all just a bit of a novelty."  
Brindletail's ears flicked. Novelty, were they?  
Crowheart looked back at her and gave a bit of a grin. "But hey, I'm glad you're here."  
He walked up to the entrance of a hollow stump and nodded into it. "This is the medicine cat den. Say hi for me."  
Brindletail dipped her head to him, nudging Brightkit ahead of her. "Thank you," she said.  
"No problem," said Crowheart brightly. "Welcome to the clan. I'm glad you found us."[/i]


End file.
